


it's not a secret

by livinginaworldofnoise



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, M/M, Maybe a little angst, Spin the Bottle, basically all the relationships I tagged are background, i have no idea what the setting of this is, i hope you like it??, idk what else to tag, short and sweet, spoilers through house of hades, unrequited percico
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-02
Updated: 2014-08-02
Packaged: 2018-02-11 10:47:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2065218
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livinginaworldofnoise/pseuds/livinginaworldofnoise
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>eight demigods play spin the bottle. things get a little awkward.</p><p>(in other words, the resolution I want for Nico di Angelo)</p>
            </blockquote>





	it's not a secret

**Author's Note:**

> hello darling, thanks for reading!
> 
> if you notice any mistakes I would love to know (bc I'm lazy and evil and didn't edit this) so feel free to tell me!
> 
> if you're wondering where/when this story is set..... I don't even know. Sometime after (?) house of hades maybe 
> 
> I hope you enjoy it somewhat, comment whatever you want, much love to all xx

"I know," Leo said one night. "Let's play spin the bottle."

Hazel wrinkled her nose. "What is that?"

Frank turned to Hazel to explain it to her. "You spin a bottle, and whoever it lands on..."

Jason had adopted the expression he used when Leo suggested rule-breaking or other distasteful activities. "Is that really a good idea?"

Percy laughed. "That'd be interesting."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Piper glanced at Jason. "I don't mind."

Nico was silent.

"Great," Leo exclaimed, "we're all in agreement, then!" He wasn't in the mood to feel like a seventh wheel. Leo felt that after his ordeals he rather deserved some action. He wouldn't mind if it was Hazel he got to kiss, either, though he suspected Frank might.

"Okay, but, like, ground rules," said Percy. "On the lips? Gender-indiscriminate?"

Leo shrugged. "Sure and sure. That cool?"

All three couples in the room glanced at each other for affirmation. Percy and Annabeth didn't even need words to communicate. Piper was murmuring to Jason, who was still looking rather unimpressed but unlikely to disagree. Frank and Hazel were slightly less subtle, both of them sharing worried looks and quiet sentences. No one noticed Nico's alarmed glances at Percy. After a moment or two of rather intense deliberation, no one really felt like lodging complaints. Even the most reserved among them could agree that there was little actual harm in the game, so they didn't want to be the ones not brave enough to try it.

"Lovely," Leo said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "I'll go first."

He reached for an empty bottle of diet coke resting on the table. His expert fingers twisted the bottle so that it spun like a top, finally landing on...Jason. He laughed breezily and leaned across the table. "C'm'ere, you rugged son of Jupiter." Jason, for his part, was more amused than anything, as was Piper. Leo made a big show of pecking his best friend on the lips, eliciting laughs from even the most reluctant of the players. Satisfied, he sat back in his seat to watch the game play out.

Jason's spin landed on Percy, which could've been a lot more awkward than it was, considering their near-constant rivalry. Percy was smiling, unperturbed as usual. Annabeth, for her part, didn't even seem to be reaching for her knife as Jason's lips met her boyfriend's. Jason's split-second apologetic glance at Nico went unnoticed.

Percy laughed as he pulled away. He spun the bottle only to have it land on Annabeth. He grinned delightedly and grabbed her hand to pull her out of her seat, and she only realized why once she found herself being dipped back. In a movie-magic display of affection, Percy gave her a deep and dramatic kiss, and they were both laughing when they came up for air.

The tension slowly began to drain from the group, as Annabeth's spin resulted in dry mouth-to-mouth contact with a rather flustered Frank. To his intense relief, his spin got him a kiss with Hazel, though his nervous energy returned as she spun to get Leo.

Leo and Hazel's kiss, while kept PG, was still rather more than a peck. Frank hoped this didn't really mean anything, that Hazel was still just projecting Sammy onto him momentarily. He couldn't live with it if it was more than that.

Leo spun once again to get Piper. "Wow," he commented as he leaned over for a brief kiss, while Jason didn't even blink an eye this time, "I get both parts of Jasper."

"Jasper?" Hazel asked questioningly.

"Jason and Piper. That's what you get when you smush their names together," Percy said wisely.

"What are we?" Annabeth asked him.

"Percabeth," he said immediately, and everyone laughed good-naturedly at his knowledge of the subject.

Nico, who had been thus ignored up until this point, seemed ready to snap from the nervous energy thrumming through him almost indiscernibly, when Piper's spin landed on him. She shrugged, trying to pretend the guy didn't scare her a little, and gave him an awkward peck that he did not seem keen to return. His reluctance heightened as he reached for the bottle to spin, and he froze when it landed on Percy.

Jason's eyes widened fractionally, but no one noticed except Piper, who made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Percy was still smiling as though he hadn't a care in the world, while Nico looked more likely to throw up. At first it seemed he wouldn't move at all, so it was a surprise to all when he reached over to Percy, giving a kiss one would bestow on a grandmother. After less than a second, Nico wrenched himself away and shot to his feet.

"I- This is a stupid game," he choked out, and fled without any further explanation.

Annabeth had watched the whole exchange with a new dawning of realization. Percy did not visibly seem to share this epiphany, but his brow wrinkled as he got to his feet. "I'm going to go after him. I don't...what did I do wrong?"

As he left the room, conversation began in quiet undertones.

Meanwhile, Percy found Nico sitting on the roof. "Hey," he said quietly, making Nico jump, which surprised Percy, as Nico was usually the one startling people. "Um, I guess we should talk."

Nico seemed even paler and younger in the moonlight, his facial features pinched to convey how unpleasant he found that idea. "Do we have to?"

Percy laughed soundlessly and fleetingly. "Yeah. I think so. Just, like...what's up? Are you okay?"

"Okay?" Nico repeated, as though this were some kind of unknown concept. "That's kind of a stupid question."

The son of Poseidon quirked his lips into a half smile. "I'm kind of a master of those. Just...can you tell me what's wrong? It's something to do with me, isn't it?

 _Pretty and smart_ , Nico thought, but he had the sense not to say it aloud. This conversation wasn't really the place for jokes like that. It was probably time for the truth. But he didn't know how to say it. "It's- it's just- I don't-" His breathing, against his will, was getting more rapid and ragged. He cursed his inability to keep his composure around Percy.

"Hey, it's okay," Percy said gently, and _goddamn him and his stupid gorgeous eyes and why, why was he being so nice?_ Nico already knew the answer to that question, though. He was being nice because he was Percy Jackson, and as clueless as he could be, even Percy Jackson knew when to be delicate. "Would it be easier if I told you what I think?"

Nico didn't know what to say to that, so he just nodded, figuring he wouldn't be able to get the necessary words out anyway.

"It's not Annabeth you have a crush on, is it?" Percy asked carefully, and oh, no one gave him enough credit for his sharpness. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but, is it...is it me?"

Nico made an odd sort of choking noise at this, and Percy momentarily feared that he'd killed him with his bluntness. "I'm sorry - look, I just thought you might want to talk, but if I'm making you uncomfortable, I didn't-"

Nico gave him an unreadable look and let out a bitter laugh. "If _you're_ making _me_ uncomfortable? I mean you just- you just found out that I'm. You know."

Percy exhaled a soft _oh_ , as something clicked. "Nico, there is nothing wrong with you. Please don't tell me you think that." The demigod in question said nothing, refusing to even meet Percy's imploring gaze. "Nico, you know this isn't about me. This is about you, and the fact that you don't believe it's okay to be who you are," Percy pressed.

"Of course it's about you!" Nico burst out, his face painted with frustration and anger that almost hid the tears starting to form. "You were the first demigod I ever saw in action, you were my Mythomagic game come to life, and I was enraptured. You were a real-life hero, this self-deprecating, gorgeous guy who made me laugh, who I believed would protect me and my sister."

"That's not- I'm not-" Percy looked uncomfortable now.

Nico just shook his head wearily. "But you are. Even if you couldn't protect Bianca. You're the most powerful demigod I've ever met, yet you're down-to-earth and funny. You defeated Kronos, you were offered immortality by the gods themselves, you were made a goddamn praetor at Camp Jupiter after one quest."

"Those things - you make them sound so much more impressive than they were. I had help, or- or it was just dumb luck, I didn't-"

"You still don't believe me. For gods' sake, your fatal flaw is excessive loyalty." He didn't mean to sound scathing, but his frustration was rising. "Your one failing is that you love your friends too much. Seriously, who else can say that? It's just - mystifying, that's what it is, because there's no reason you should be nice to me. I got you imprisoned in the Underworld, I lied to you about not knowing you at Camp Jupiter. I've never proven myself trustworthy, but it's like you don't even care. I don't- I don't get it."

Nico's frustration seemed to be seeping into Percy now. "Those things weren't your fault, Nico, so why shouldn't I trust you? You helped win the Titan War, too, you know, and you couldn't interfere at Camp Jupiter. I get it, I understand, I don't know why you're pressing so hard for me not to trust you."

Nico was beyond listening. "And now, here you are, this larger-than-life hero, telling me it's not about you, telling me my feelings aren't real."

Percy was aghast. "That's not what I meant," he said indignantly. "You're just...building me up to something I'm not. Look, I'm just a stupid kid with ADHD and dyslexia. My whole life feels like one big accident. I mess up all the time. I do stupid things. Gods know Annabeth likes me anyway, but having two people who do - just, forgive me if I can't believe that this has more to do with me than it does with you."

Nico pressed his lips together into a thin line. "No. No, this is your fault. If you weren't so- so you, then maybe I-" He made that choking sound again. "-I wouldn't be _this_."

Percy understood now, why Nico was so desperate for him to be that hero, but he didn't know what to say. "If I were gay, would you think there was something wrong with me?"

Nico stared at him. "But you're- you're not-?"

Percy shrugged. "I mean, I've found guys cute before. I've found girls cute, too. But Annabeth...she's it, for me. It wouldn't matter if she were a boy or a girl. But you didn't answer my question. If Annabeth were a boy, would you think there was something wrong with me?"

"Of course not," Nico said vehemently, as though shocked Percy would even suggest such a thing.

"So why is it any different for yourself?"

Nico's mouth moved to form words but no sound came out.

"If this really is just about me, then I'm sorry," Percy said. "It can't happen, because I love Annabeth more than anything. But I think you know, better than anyone, that the real problem is that you think it's wrong to like guys. Maybe everyone else thought so, too, back in the 1940s, but we're living in a different world. Things are _changing_. But, man, it's even different for you than mortals, because you know the Greeks didn't care about that kind of thing." Percy glanced at Nico, who was looking down at his hands, but still appeared to be listening intently, and decided it was necessary to press a little further. "You don't have to tell anyone out there, if you don't want to, because it isn't their business. But if you decide to, I think you'll find that you're the only one disgusted by yourself. And if anyone's an asshole about it, I'll beat them up for you. I will."

Nico finally looked up at him, and Percy was relieved to see he had finally elicited a laugh from the younger boy. Nico nodded, slowly, and got to his feet. "Okay."

Percy grinned at him. "Alright, then, let's go back inside. I'm freezing." He turned to leave but Nico's voice called him back.

"Percy," Nico said quietly. "Even if this _is_  about me...it's about you too. You're incredible, especially tonight, and I- I like you. Just- just so you know. I don't expect anything from you, and I wouldn't be saying this if I didn't think you should hear it. You _are_  that hero, you always have been, even when you were fourteen and I blamed you for Bianca's death. She told me, you know, that it was her who took the Mythomagic figure from the junk yard, so really her death was my fault- And no," he added, seeing Percy open his mouth to argue, "I'm not finished. She also told me you wanted to be the one to sacrifice yourself, but she wouldn't let you, and I get it now, and I'm sorry I made you feel like it was your fault. You did everything you could, you _always_  do everything you can, and that's what makes you so heroic. Your doubts, they're just- It doesn't matter. But thank you. For everything."

Percy was staring at him, slightly open-mouthed, as though that wasn't what he had been expecting. "Well...thank you, for that. I- wow." He smiled ruefully. "That's flattering, I guess, though I still think you and Annabeth have been misled about me."

Nico gave him a smile, small but definite, feeling tensionless for the first time in a long time. "We can go back inside. There's...well, I guess there's something I want to tell everyone. It's not really a secret anymore, is it?"


End file.
